Yeah, I could probably stand to get one myself but I can’t afford it. I’m wayyyyyyy overweight (damn it, I’m downright fat!) and tired of it. I don’t have to go back down to 150 pounds, which is what I was in my early twenties. Since I’m only 5 feet 7” tall, that would still have me overweight . . . but not as overweight as I am now, ya know?
It’s not all about vanity with me . . . I have to admit that’s a BIG part of it, but I also want the surgery because I want to be able to move around like I use to — to run a block without being so out of breath that I feel I’m going to die. I want to look forward to going to Disney World with my granddaughter and not be worried about getting tired after just a few minutes. I want to go out on my book tour later this year – to promote my last book Many Paths, Many Feet — and have enough energy to do some sight seeing.
I want my old life back! To look at me now you’d never know I spent 7 years in the military (U. S. Army), and could run 3 miles without breaking into a real sweat. Like many people I started gaining weight after I had my children, but there’s no way I can blame all my weight gain on my pregnancies. I started eating more, and my dress size began to reflect my eating habits. And then when I started suffering health issues (which had nothing to do with my weight) and couldn’t exercise or get around as much I use to I started gaining even more weight.
So here I am, at age 54, and looking like the fat old woman I always vowed I’d never be.
Naw . . . I can’t go out like this. I would like to stick around long enough to see my grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. There’s no way I’m going to be able to do that with all this extra weight — which is guaranteed to cut down on life expectancy.
I have contemplated various procedures, which I have done my research on:
Gastric Bypass Surgery— the original surgery procedure, which gives the best weight loss. This surgery helps you lose weight by changing how your stomach and small intestine handle the food you eat. After the surgery, your stomach will be smaller. You will feel full with less food. The food you eat will no longer go into some parts of your stomach and small intestine that break down food. Because of this, your body will not absorb all of the calories from the food you eat.
Lap Band Surgery — I know a couple of people who had this surgery and complained about it — they said there were too many things they couldn’t eat without almost immediately regurgitating. This procedure gives weight loss, but not as much as the Gastric Bypass. Good thing about this is that the Lap Band is adjustable, and you go into the doctor’s office to get the Lap Band enlarged or shrunk to regulate the weight loss.
Gastric Sleeve Surgery — This is the newest of the surgeries, and has the least side effects and the fastest recovery time. The weight loss is not as quick as with the Gastric Bypass, but is better than with the Lap Band Surgery. During this procedure a bariatric surgeon removes about 85 percent of the stomach so that it takes the shape of a tube or sleeve. This operation is performed where the surgeon makes small incisions as opposed to one large incision. He/she inserts a viewing tube with a small camera (laparoscope) and other tiny instruments into these small incisions to remove part of the stomach.
With 50 lbs. to lose, my family tells me that surgery is too extreme and that I should just reduce calories and exercise. I have tried a lot of diet and exercise programs but with no luck and no staying power. Maybe one of these surgeries will help me take control of my eating instead of my eating taking control of me.
Photo Credit
“day1 of 30 – 135 lbs” Some rights reserved by skampy on Flickr
Recent Phyllis Wilson Articles:
- Dear Wayne
- What Is Your Greatest Strength?
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- Have You Checked In With The Person In The Mirror Lately?
- Soul Food
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